[Myanmar] Countless helping hands for Samasanga Orphanage

In December 2022, Anna Ingpyo, from Myanmar, who is a volunteer at the Ansan JTS Multicultural Center (and an interpreter for the Korean Medical Foundation), requested assistance from JTS. She shared that the Samasanga Orphanage located near Naypyidaw, the capital city of Myanmar, was facing difficult circumstances and needed help.

The Samasanga Orphanage is a facility that cares for 1,154 children through the age of 18. It operates solely on donations, without any government subsidies. As can be seen in the photos, the children at the orphanage appeared malnourished and are wearing ill-fitting clothes. Anna Ingpyo requested support to provide clothing for the children at the orphanage.

Myanmar is facing economic difficulties not only at the Samasanga Orphanage but throughout the country. The land area of Myanmar is 3.5 times that of the Korean Peninsula, but the population is similar to that of Korea. The country has been under military dictatorship for a long time, and there is ongoing conflict between various ethnic groups such as the Bamar and Rohingya, who make up the majority of the population. In addition, the situation in Myanmar has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of conflict, causing international companies to move out of the country and fuel prices to skyrocket.

“International families from the Ansan JTS Multicultural Center are joining hands together to provide support“

JTS, at the request of Anna Ingpyo, quickly began support activities for the children in the Samasanga Orphanage. A total of 27 boxes were collected at the Ansan JTS Multicultural Center in Korea, including 22 boxes of baby and children’s clothing, 2 boxes of knitted hats, and 3 boxes of donated clothing from the Nabi Market. On December 22, 2022, JTS volunteers and international families gathered at the Ansan JTS Multicultural Center to pack the collected clothing. Most of the international families face difficult circumstances of their own and find it challenging to allocate their time. However, they willingly devoted their time for the sake of children from another country who are in greater need. Although the clothes may no longer be useful to those who donated them, once they were carefully cleaned and packaged, they became essential items for others.

On February 20th, 2023, after the first round of support was completed, we received a message of gratitude from the Samasanga Orphanage, along with a request for additional essential items. For the second round of support, JTS volunteers actively responded and sent 32 boxes of donated clothing, sneakers, towels, soap, toothbrushes, and masks to the orphanage.

On April 14th, 2023, the donations arrived at the orphanage and were distributed to the children. A few days later, we received a message of gratitude from the orphanage, expressing how much the donations were needed and how helpful they were for the children.

“Through voluntary participation of the Myanmar community”

The unsung heroes supporting the Samasanga Orphanage are Anna Ingpyo, from Myanmar, and J-Mark Shipping, a Myanmar transportation company. J-Mark Shipping provided the transportation and customs fees to ensure the safe delivery of relief items to the orphanage. Anna’s hometown acquaintances also provided significant assistance to ensure the successful delivery of the donations. Through the collaboration between JTS and the Myanmar community, we were able to support the children at the orphanage in a timely manner.

“The support and solidarity will continue to ensure that children don’t lose their dreams.”

Anna Ingpyo has expressed her intention to continue volunteering with JTS even after returning to Myanmar, showing her commitment to help others despite the political uncertainty in Myanmar. We are grateful to Anna for choosing a life of serving her neighbors.

JTS will continue to care for the children at the Samasanga Orphanage, ensuring they hold onto their dreams and live with hope, even under challenging circumstances.During this support activity, we have once again come to realize that it is not the abundance of what we have that enables us to help others, but working together, extending helping hands to one another and embracing our heartfelt intentions with those hands. We express our gratitude to the international families and volunteers at the Ansan JTS Multicultural Center who joined us in this support initiative.